Damansara Uptown: The Good Batch

[throwback]

Have you ever read the post about 20 must-visit cafes in KL? I read about it during Kota Kinabalu trip in January and hence decided to check out one of them right after the trip. And yes, I sort of contribute to decide the place for my early birthday celebration with my roomie. Hehe..

Out of 20 cafes, I think I tried 3-4 of them. So the choice among the 10+ cafes is ........... The Good Batch at Uptown. I've seen photos of nice eggs in this cafe. How to resist??? 

Brunch after KK Trip!!

A glance at the cafe. (Photo credits to JieMin)

The coffee bar

Sunway: Tai Lei Loi Kei 大利来记

Tai Lei Loi Kei has been blooming everywhere since mid-2013. I've seen one branch in SS15 before a newer one open in Sunway Pyramid. (There may be other branches opening at other places, but due to my lack of knowledge/common sense/sense of direction, I only know about Subang area.)

It is actually a restaurant that is famous with their pork chop bun (猪扒包) in Macau. Many tourists will drop by the stall in Macau and I've seen photos of long queue, just for their pork chop bun. It does not attracts me as I think it is something that I can make at home. Fried the pork chop and toast the bread. Easy huh?!

After my Hong Kong trip in December 2013, I've tried pork chop bun in Macau, but not from Tai Lei Loi Kei. The restaurant that I went is recommended in openrice hong kong and hence I decided to try that instead. Hmm... Nothing surprise me. Other than the crispy bun, pork chop taste pretty normal. Something that I dislike is the bones in the pork chop! Quite hard to finish the bun like a lady. XD

Well, there's one morning that I went to Sunway Pyramid and trying to look for something light and not filling. I've tried most bread shop in Pyramid and hence decided to try Tai Lei Loi Kei. Give chance give chance. =P

Missed their breakfast set, which ends at 11am. Was there around 11.10am. *CRY* So I ordered a pork chop bun (plus egg and cheese), curry fishballs noodle (咖喱鱼蛋面）and also a Macau dessert -- Serradura/Biscuit Mousse (木糠蛋糕). 

Here's the bun! The bun is nice but there's bones in the pork chop! WHY MUST HAVE BONES? I almost crack my tooth with food again. LOL.. Additional egg and cheese make the bun tastes nicer. But it is quite oily overall. NOT HEALTHY. 

Bangsar: Antipodean Cafe

[throwback]

I was quite sad for not being able to enjoy nice coffee like in Melbourne after my student exchange for few months there. I miss Aussie brunch. I miss their coffee. I miss my cuppa Mocha while listening to lecture. 

After some time, I realized that there's a new cafe in Bangsar - Antipodean. It is open by Australian and I was so excited to see photos of their food on Instagram. Yes, I'm not too adventurous in food, especially when it comes to above-average-price ones. I will do some "research" looking at blogs and photos to make sure it is worth trying. 

Till now, I've been to Antipodean Cafe, Bangsar, for more than 3 times. I ordered the same dish, most of the time. I can't deny that I love their mushrooms and hash brown. I like to stalk their boss too. He is always there to open the door to welcome the customers. So nice! 

Inside the cafe. The walls are red. So energetic!

Magnum Gold?!

I've seen advertisements of Magnum Gold on Facebook for a while. Being a Magnum fans, I have a strong urge to try it. I wonder if I will change my favourite flavour -- Magnum Almond, to Magnum Gold.

Why Gold? It is vanilla ice cream + caramel, coated with golden dipped milk chocolate. 

The packing. It looks so cool and the colour contrast is nice. 

Really golden, or I should say bright yellow! XD

Why should we travel?

I'm always enthusiastic about traveling, whether locally or internationally. I start to feel excited from the moment I purchase the flight ticket. It is quite interesting to 'hunt' for a good deal for hotel(s) and also cheap flight. I have plenty of places that I wanted to visit in mind. Sadly, I have no savings at the moment. Travel plan should come in a halt.

To be honest, I never take a plane until I was 18. First flight was a domestic flight from Kuala Lumpur (KL) to Penang (PNG). Air Asia. It is just a flight for me to go home. Second time was my family trip to Korea. First international flight was exciting, yet tiring! I felt like a kampung (village) girl when I was in the airport. XD

Why should we travel? In my opinion, traveling is good. Why? Continue reading! 

1) You explore new things when you travel.
Either food, culture, weather, scenery, or people. The more new things you explore, the more exciting is your journey. The more new things you try/learn, the more knowledgeable you are. Do some homework before your trip. It would be a life lesson. A new country. A new place. Meet new people.

Nice scenery at Tasmania. It looks like heaven. (2011)

2) You learn to manage your money.  
Allocate an amount for your trip and you will learn how to spend them wisely. You know you can't spend too much as you will have a hard time after the trip. Basic financial management # Lesson 1.

Subang: Fat Boys' The Burger Bar at One City

[Throwback]

Fat Boys' The Burger Bar opened a new branch at One City in September 2013, first one being in Publika. I've been to the one in Publika, for a birthday dinner. I'm happy that my friend brought me to One City that day and I have the chance to try it again. (Although there was something happened in between. Car "spoilt". I overslept.) 

We don't know what to eat for dinner and decided to go for burger again! Burger-mania. =P Here, you can customize your own burger, if you are creative enough. I have problem choosing so customizing a burger would be very difficult for me. Haha...

Here's the menu! One piece of paper (Double sided), but it is pretty detail. 

I have problem choosing what I want AGAIN though choices for me aren't a lot (I don't take beef so I can delete a few choices from the menu XD)

Taiping: Pokok Assam Jawa Mee

I love Jawa Mee/Mee Rebus since I was six. When there's transport problem, I'll just cycle out to a noodle stall near my house to get a packet as lunch. Then when I grow older, I tried a few different stalls. Some famous one, some not-so-famous-and-taste-pretty-odd one. Different stalls will cook different taste, and hence which is good? It is a personal thing. 

Bangsar: Dip n Dip

[Throwback]

Dip n Dip was a hit months ago, when it has only one branch in Bangsar. Everyone who tried will post photos up on Facebook and Instagram. It is a chocolate dessert shop and their desserts are very very rich with chocolate. 

I went there with my friends after a heavy dinner. We were craving for something sweet that time, and also feel like following the trend. XD When we reach Dip n Dip, we were shocked. There's a long queue in front of the shop. What? Everyone craving for such a fattening dessert at almost 10pm? Shocking!

The queue! We were quite lucky that day because after 2 minutes queuing in the line, there's 3-4 groups people behind us. Phewwww....

Taiping: Hawker Center Roti Canai

Another breakfast choice in Taiping: Roti Canai. There's a few nice stalls in Taiping, but due to convenience, I always have mine in Hawker Center. 

Roti Canai is an Indian-influenced flatbread found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. According to my friend who is studying in India, there isn't roti canai there, although they have naan, tosai, etc. In Malaysia, we have a variety of Roti Canai, which they mix with a lot of stuff, from fruits (banana, durian), to condensed milk (roti boom), to eggs (roti telur), to milo (roti milo), etc etc. You can find roti canai in all mamak stalls and it is a breakfast/supper choice in Malaysia.  

Usually they will serve roti canai with brown sugar, a chicken/mutton curry and dhal. For me, I like to eat it with dhal (which is always less spicy than curry), so I often request for dhal only to prevent wastage. =)

My breakfast combination! Teh Tarik and Roti Canai (Kosong/Plain). So Malaysian. XD

And this is Roti Tissue. It is paper-thin and served with condensed milk. 

It is a good choice if you want something less filling and crunchy. 

I think this would be something special for foreigners, not for Malaysian. Tell your foreigner friends and relative, try roti canai and have it the local way (hands! No utensils!) 

Taiping: "Hor Ka Sai" (虎咬狮)

Have you heard of a drink called "Hor Ka Sai"? I was shocked when my friend asked me to help her order this drink, about 6 years ago. 

I was like "Repeat repeat. What drink you want? "Hor Ka Zai" (which means "Luckily" in Hokkien)? Don't try to make fun of me. What drink you want?" 

My friend corrected the term to "Hor Ka Sai" and persuaded me that the uncle in coffee shop will know what it is.

To be honest, I went to the coffee shop in Hawker Center and prepared to get some scolding from people. What kind of funny drink that I'm ordering, I wondered. But it surprised me that the uncle understands me and proceeded with the order without hesitation. And then, I learnt about this "new" and special drink in Taiping. 

Taiping: Lian Thong Restaurant 联通茶室

If you're looking for a breakfast spot in Taiping, Lian Thong Restaurant would be one of your choice. It is located, near Hua Lian High School (华联独中), and hence expect for students crowd in the afternoon. There's also a few lawyer firms around and so this restaurant is quite crowded during lunch time.

I always come here for breakfast around 9-10am. If I'm craving for eggs on toast, I'll have to force myself to wake up earlier as it usually sold out around 10am (sometimes even earlier, especially during the weekend). So what's so good about this restaurant? Eggs on toast is the best! My favourite! Sorry I don't have a photo with me but you can imagine -- thick toast (but very soft) with half-boiled eggs. *slurpsss*

Another favourite of mine would be this! Preserved Salted Lime Juice (咸金桔)! They made the salted lime themselves and are really good for sore throat. They serve it hot and cold, so it is up to your choice =)

Next would be this! Bomb Mee! It is something like Cantonese Style Wat Tan Hor (滑蛋河) with fried noodles and gravy. But the feel of this Bomb Mee is a bit different from those Wat Tan Hor at other places. 

This is Fried Jawa Mee. You can find it elsewhere, but the taste is different here. More towards Chinese style, than mamak style. 

Another nice dish here is Kerabu Fried Rice. You gonna try it as it is really nice.

What I like about this place is the food and the nice uncles that serve the customers. However, don't expect them to walk fast like youngsters. A little challenging part for this restaurant is parking. I always have problem finding parking and end up eating at other places. So, tips, you might need to wake up earlier than others to grab a parking. 

Address: 5, Jalan Kota, Taiping (Corner shop)

Penang Street Art

It has been a while. A lot of people had posted photos of Penang Street Art on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Tempted, but I have no time to pay "them" a visit last year. The TVB drama "Outbound Love" (单恋双城) also have a lot of street art scene. Argh... I wanna take photos of those arts before they fade out. And yes!! Finally, my super duper long holiday allows me to do so. 

Penang Street Arts are painted by Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian-born artist, and some by other artists. They are located at different streets so you need to do some homework to look for all of them. I learnt from mistakes. We did not check the locations of any murals beforehand and missed out a lot of murals on Day 1. Thus, we need to go and walk under the hot sun the next day to finish the task. Sounds very serious to take photos of all murals. XD

#1 Ernest's Murals

"Boy on a Bike" mural at Ah Quee Street (Lebuh Ah Quee). There is another mural beside it but already faded. It should be a "Little Boy with Pet Dinosaur". Wasted. Sigh.

"Boy on Chair" Mural at Cannon Street. 

The little boy is so cute! And this mural appears many times in the drama I mentioned. =D

Penang: The Twelve Cups

Penang is like my second home at the moment. I visit Penang, about once a week. Sometimes twice a week. To meet friends. To have a family day trip. To send family to airport. 

As I go Penang so often, I'm back to cafe hunting with my friend. This time is really by coincidence as we wanted to try Lighthouse Cafe initially. While looking for Lighthouse Cafe, we found this -- The Twelve Cups! A cafe which is known for mille crepes and it tempted me to try! Since I found it "accidentally", might as well try. It is fate that brought us together. Haha..

The quote on the wall. 

"It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life for me and I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good =D" 

Yeah. It should be everyone's quote of the day. Feel good all the time. =)

A glance at the counter. Simple yet nice design. =)

The table opposite ours. With sofa. So relaxing.
Another quote spotted: "Never Stop Dreaming". I like!

I ordered a Mocha (RM10.90) and it was alright. Not too sweet. Some places have very sweet mocha, which I don't really fancy. 

Mocha with latte art. This is nice =) But they take a while to prepare though.

After talking to my friend for half an hour, I decided to try their mille crepe. 

Ordered a hokkaido milk mille crepe and it is just alright. But I like the cute design on the plate. Something special. Friends complaint that the spongebob is a little ugly. XD

Coffee is nice. Mille Crepe isn't up to my expectation. Not milky enough for the flavour I ordered. Environment is good for gatherings. =)

Address: 12, The Whiteaways Arcade, Lebuh Pantai, Georgetown.

Opening hours: 10am - 12am

Penang: Famous Teochew Chendul (Cendol)

I think everyone who visits Penang will want to try this out - Cendol! It is famous and definitely a great dessert under the hot sun. I've tried this stall twice and this is my third visit. 

What is cendol? It is a traditional dessert, which is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. Basic ingredients are coconut milk, jelly noodles (rice flour with green food colouring/pandan extract), shaved ice and palm sugar. Some stalls will add on with red beans, glutinous rice, grass jelly or creamed corn. (wikipedia)

This roadside vendor  is famous with their cendol, and has been here since 1950s. 

Ladies busy serving cendol for customers. They are busy all the time during my visits. 

Penang: The Mugshot Cafe

Cafe is the new trend. There's plenty of cafes "blooming" in KL/PJ area, then Penang, then Ipoh. I never go for cafe hunting in Penang in 2013, because it sounds a bit odd for a tourist. Go Penang for coffee and not hawker food? It sounds ridiculous to me. 

But nowadays, I go Penang so often until I'm bored with the hawker food. So it is time to hunt for some nice coffee in town! There's a lot of cafes apparently when I do a google search. It is headache to choose from such a long list. Arghhh... So we decided to go randomly. As Penang island isn't too big, cafes are nearby, mostly in Georgetown. Hence, my friend and I decided to randomly pick one - among some "older" ones. 

And we decided to visit The Mugshot! I saw a lot of instagram photos of this cafe since 2013. They have yogurts, bagels and of course, coffee. The cafe is quite long, with mainly 2 sections - one being the section you make your order, with a few tables around and a bakery beside; another one is where you can capture your mug shot, more sunshine with garden theme. Quite interesting design. =)

The Mugshot. Love the lighting.

Taiping: Hawker Center - some of my favourite stalls.

As mentioned in previous post about my family's shop - Sin Heng Guan at Taiping Hawker Center. So, I'm very familiar with this place and perhaps, tried all the stalls. I've been hanging around here for 20+ years, and when some stalls changed owner then I have new stalls to try! 

Taiping Hawker Center has more than 80 food and beverages stalls, some open in the morning till afternoon, while some open in the evening. There are Chinese, Malay and Indian stalls, so expect for a variety of food! You can find roti canai, soup noodles, vegetarian food, curry mee, chee cheong fun, wan tan mee, etc etc.

Today, I'm going to share with you a few stalls that I like. 

See how many stalls are there? It is just a part of hawker center. And I'm taking photo at the open-air space. It will be quite windy in the night. Great spot to "yum-cha" with friends. =)

Another side of the hawker center. And yes, this is a huge food court. 

First stall : Hoo Song Yuan Seafood 好松园海鲜

I always order my dinner from this stall as they have nice and cheap dishes. Hence, I'm close with the boss nowadays until I can make special request (they will say yes, only if they can prepare for me).

The signboard of the stall. C42. They serve noodles, rice, and dishes. 

Taiping: Ming Ji's Cuisine (明记美食馆)

Back in Taiping, I rarely go for western cuisine, as most of them are quite normal - something that mom can cook. I still crave for western, occasionally, and I will end up in Panorama or Nagaria. Weeks ago, my sis told me that there's a new western restaurant. I doubt it will be good initially. Didn't have much expectation. However, my first try was awesome! Their menu surprised me, of course, the food is good with reasonable price. 

The restaurant I'm talking about is Ming Ji's Cuisine. It is located opposite Siang Malam (not the same row as KFC, it is at another side). The shop used to be a chicken rice shop, with the same name. Hmm.. No wonder it sounds a bit familiar to me. 

The front look of the restaurant. It is pretty obvious if you are driving along this street (on your left!)

They have outdoor seating as well. If you prefer to enjoy the sunlight, this could be your choice! =)

Before walking into the restaurant, saw a set-lunch promotion. Hmmm.. Tempted! =D

Inside the restaurant. I like their lighting and background music. Makes me feel so comfortable with this place. =) They have simple decorations on the walls - some pictures at a corner.  

Taiping Lake Garden

Taiping Lake Garden, a place where all locals (Taiping lang) are familiar with. A jogging spot. A photo-shoot spot (especially for wedding photos). A tourist-must-visit spot. What I like about this place is the peacefulness that I can find whenever I dropped by and also the beauty of nature. Whenever I'm free, I'll take my camera and drive out to lake garden for a few shots.

What's so nice about Lake Garden? It is one of the historical "FIRST" in Taiping --> First Public Garden in Malaya, spread over 64 hectares. Lake Garden is not just a lake with some tress around. It has 10 scenic lakes and ponds, lotus pool, bridges, jogging tracks, reflexology tracks, roller-skating rink, playgrounds and also plenty of plants, tress, flowers and also wildlife. (information from Tourism Malaysia) Monkeys are quite common but they will not harm if we do no harm. =) Oh ya, not to forget, you can enjoy paddleboat rides here too!

When you see this, you're at the right place! Lake garden is basically a big circle. So you can enjoy the scenery while driving around, if you're scare of hot sun. 

Another side of lake garden. Notice the boats in the middle of this photo?? That's the paddle-boats that I've mentioned just now. 

Taiping: Sin Heng Guan Trading 新兴源贸易

After blogging about Hong Kong and Kota Kinabalu, it is time to back to my hometown to enjoy my holiday. I'm from Taiping (太平) a.k.a the Raintown (雨城). I'll describe about my hometown more in other post, but now I am going to tell you a little bit about the place that I always hang out. 

For me, this is a happening area - Taiping Hawker Center (Pusat Penjaja Taiping). It is located at Jalan Tupai, with Bomba Taiping at its corner. Taiping Lake Garden is just 2 minutes drive from Hawker Center, I personally think that tourists should drop by here during your trip. There's plenty of shops/stalls in Hawker Center, range from food & beverages stalls, stalls that sell clothes, watches, CDs and newspapers. I have a few favourite stalls here that I would want to recommend. 

First and foremost, I have to recommend this -- Sin Heng Guan Trading. This is a shop where you can buy breads, famous local biscuits, snacks, ice creams, hampers, "bak gua" (肉干) and others. During festive seasons, they do sell mooncakes and more hampers during Chinese New Year/Hari Raya/Deepavali/Christmas. Not to say that I'm praising my own family business, there's really nice & cheap hampers, and also tasty local biscuits.  (绝对不是卖花赞花香)

The front look of the shop. (No back view indeed) 

What you can see from far is just some hampers, and maybe bread and ice-cream. You gonna come in and "hunt" for nice food.

Plenty of biscuits! !

The "sharp sharp" biscuits on the top of this photo is the triangle biscuits (三角饼). Many customers asked if there's coins inside the biscuits. Their childhood memories. Sadly no coin anymore, but the biscuits still taste great. 

There's also 2 types of peanut candies (贡糖、花生糖), one is smashed peanut and another type you can see the peanut in shape, coated with caramel. 

There's also "wife cake" a.k.a. Lou Po Peng (老婆饼) in the picture. There's 2 types indeed -- one is crunchier and the other one has softer stuffing. 

Hampers!! 

These are the "tall" type of hampers whereas there's also "basket" hampers that you'll see later.

There's some choices in the shop during non-festive season. However, you can order in advanced if you want more. 

Best seller in the shop - Heong Peng (香饼) (RM6.00)

There's 10 pieces in each packet. The biscuits are coated with sesame and stuffed with caramel. New stock arrives daily and hence you can enjoy the chewiness of the caramel when eat it fresh. 

Tourist must-buy! Try it!

Must Try Food in Kota Kinabalu

After my graduation trip to Kota Kinabalu, I have a list of must-try food if I have a chance to visit again. 

1. Seafood. 
They have really CHEAP seafood and how can you miss it? Look at my previous post about Sea Food Restaurant. Another restaurant is also good, but slightly more expensive - Gayang Seafood Restaurant. 

2. Tuaran Mee
It is a "made in Sabah" delicacy, a traditional handmade egg noodle from Tuaran Town. It is a noodle that represents Sabah. As I've tried Kolo Mee in Sarawak, I'm expecting for something similar. But it surprised me a little as it is fried egg noodles, served with char siew (dried roasted pork). 

At first we wanted to try Tuaran Mee Restaurant but it closes on Wednesday (The day we went). The restaurant that we went is called Lok Kyun Restaurant (乐群酒家). Open Tuesday - Sunday. It's quite nice. Something different. =)

Here's the address of Lok Kyun: Shop No. 4, Block 8, Jalan Keogh, Tuaran.

Tuaran Mee (RM6+)

3. Pastas at Little Italy. 

I like the ambience, as described in my previous post. Plenty of photos in there. 

4. Roti Kahwin 

Coconut spread/kaya with butter is known as Roti Kahwin. I saw a few food blogs about this and tempted to try. They have toasted/steamed bread, which you can choose from. A great breakfast choice, indeed. The restaurant that we went was Fook Yuen Restaurant, which is about few minutes drive from the city, located at Damai Plaza. Their Teh-C is good too! Price is affordable. =)

5. Tamparuli Mee

Tamparuli mee is quite similar to Tuaran Mee, but because they are made in different town, so they are named differently. My local friend recommended Tamparuli Mee to me, saying that they are better than Tuaran Mee. After I tried, both are quite similar, but Tamparuli Mee has more eggs and slightly cheaper (RM4.50). 

The restaurant we went was Restaurant Wun Chiap (云集酒家), located next to a chinese school, SJK(C) Chung Hwa Tamparuli. I want to go back for this. =)

I think I have not tried every single thing in Kota Kinabalu and the list shall go on longer as time goes by. Till then. =)

Kota Kinabalu: Desa Cattle Farm

Last Spot of the trip (DAY 5) : Desa Cattle Farm

Due to some technical error with one of our rented car, our trip in Kota Kinabalu was forced to end earlier. Our car got over-heated, situation was quite bad. So we had to turn off the air-cond and drove real slow down the hill from Kundasang to the airport. Another car did went to try coconut pudding but 5 of us with the spoilt car couldn't make it. HOW SAD. Hence this is the last spot of mine, of 5 of us -- Desa Dairy Farm.

Desa Dairy Farm is located at the foothill of Mountain Kinabalu, at the Mesilau Plateau, Kundasang. It is about 30 minutes drive from the Kinabalu Park and 10 minutes from Kundasang Town. It is one of the main attractions in Kundasang town, some even referred it as "New Zealand view in Sabah".

The sky was real dark when we reached Desa Cattle Farm. However, it did not affect much the beautiful-ness of the farm.

Spot the cows! They are enjoying their lunch, I suppose.

Zoom in to look at the cows, a bit clearer. 

A must-take-photo-spot-of-tourists. Huge rock that will be on your left after a minute drive from the entrance.

Kota Kinabalu: Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve

DAY 4 (PART 2): Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve

After we check in, we proceeded our trip to Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve. It is about 40 minutes drive from our hotel/lodge. However, if you want to enjoy hot spring, walk on canopy or search for waterfall, this is a great spot. =)

Entrance to the Poring Hot Spring & Nature Reserve.

A little description of this place at the entrance.

Opening hours are stated here! =)

And Admission Fees! It is all up to you to decide where you want to visit.

Kota Kinabalu: Kinabalu Park

Day 4 (Part 1) : Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu Park (Taman Kinabalu) is one of the first national park in Malaysia, and it is the first world heritage site in Malaysia designated by UNESCO in December 2000. This park is established in 1964, having more than 4500 species of flora and fauna, including 326 birds and around 100 mammal species. It is located on the west coast of Sabah, covers 754 square km surrounding Mount Kinabalu - highest mountain in Borneo. ~~ information from Wikipedia.

We did not plan to climb Mount Kinabalu or walk the trails in the park. So we just went for an hour of sightseeing. It is still nice as the temperature at the park is quite chilly. 

Kinabalu Park. Turn in when you see this. 

Enjoy the greens. =)

A tree near the cafe/exhibition center. 

Road trip must-take-photo, taken by a hyperactive passenger -- ME!!